C20 Retreat from the Wind City

Observing the crowd, each with blood at the corners of their mouths, Chen Bai fell silent before turning to glance at Chen Lieh.

The brunt of Huo Xiaotian's words had been aimed at Chen Lieh, with the others merely caught in the crossfire.

When Chen Lieh caught his son's gaze, he stifled the severe pain wracking his body and managed a reassuring smile to signal that he was alright.

Chen Bai's silence deepened at this. The Huo and Chen families had been archenemies since Wind City's founding. Generations of enmity couldn't be resolved. Only the complete downfall of one could bring peace.

"Chen Jiang, later on, spread the word that my master has just tamed the Spirit Beast, and it's still wild. Once it reaches Wind City, it's likely to go on a rampage. It's best to evacuate Wind City for now. Ideally, we should return after seven days," Chen Bai instructed Chen Jiang, then turned to leave the square.

"Got it!" Chen Jiang responded, then, as if a thought struck him, he called out, "Young Lord! Does the Chen family need to evacuate Wind City too?"

"Yes, we should make haste."

Hours passed, and the streets and alleys of Wind City were filled with people calmly packing up to leave. The Chen family's announcement that they could return in seven days had prevented widespread panic, and some even found the time to jest among themselves.

"Hey! Isn't that the fearless one? What's got you packing up too?"

"Get lost! Even the City Lord Mansion's people are leaving. Why would I stay and court death?"

As dusk settled, the Chen family was ready to depart.

Chen Bai quietly approached Chen Lieh and asked in a low voice, "Dad, did you manage to bring any valuables with us?"

With a wry smile, Chen Lieh nodded and playfully tapped Chen Bai's forehead, saying, "You're quite the troublemaker, you know. But you're also risking the good name our Chen family has built over the years."

"Ruined? Come on, Dad, you crack me up. I'm just concerned we won't enjoy ourselves if we don't have any Spirit Stones to spend while we're laying low." Chen Bai wore a look of feigned innocence.

Chen Lieh merely smiled before suddenly asking, "Where do you plan to take us?"

"Well, that's up to you, Dad. I was thinking we head to Great Wilderness City. Maybe we could... Uh—" Chen Bai began, but he quickly realized his slip and hastily corrected himself with a chuckle, "Hehe, we're just going to lay low for a few days. It doesn't really matter where we go. Don't overthink it, Dad."

"Oh, right. Dad, you go on ahead. I've got some things to take care of, but I'll catch up soon."

"Okay, be safe. We'll wait for you ten miles east of the city."

After issuing his instructions, Chen Lieh led the group away.

Chen Bai watched them depart, clenched his fists, and then turned to make his way to the Spirit Beast Workshop.

In Wind City, shops had evacuated at the first sign of trouble, adhering to the principle of erring on the side of caution. They had even shrouded their buildings in enormous black cloths out of fear.

Upon entering the Spirit Beast Workshop, Chen Bai was greeted by a scene of desolation, as if it had been ransacked. All the Demonic Cores and hides had been taken. The once resplendent display cases now held nothing but dust.

But Chen Bai wasn't there for those items. After a cursory glance to ensure nothing of value remained, he headed to the breeding area at the back.

The Spirit Beast Workshop didn't just sell the remains of spirit beasts like Demonic Cores; it also dealt in live Spirit Beasts. The Essence Devouring Beast, a favorite among Wind City's wealthiest young ladies, was a hot commodity here, fetching as much as a thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones. Considering this was a Low Level Spirit Beast, equivalent to the fifth or sixth Qi Refining Stage and typically valued at four to five hundred Low Grade Spirit Stones, its inflated price was solely due to its adorable appearance—a testament to the adage, "Cuteness is king."

Upon reaching the breeding area, Chen Bai's eyes darted around as he muttered to himself, "Spirit Guiding Peppermint, Spirit Guiding Peppermint." Moments later, his face lit up with delight as he discovered a stash of Spirit Guiding Peppermint tossed carelessly in a corner.

"Found it!" Chen Bai exclaimed with joy as he tossed a heap of peppermint into the warehouse. He then casually picked up a pot from a nearby grocery store and set about boiling water.

As time ticked by, the water in the pot began to bubble and boil. Chen Bai decided it was the right moment to act, so he retrieved a portion of Spirit Guiding Peppermint from the warehouse, along with the small mutated Sword Spirit Tiger's Demonic Core, and added them to the pot to simmer.

Before long, a peculiar aroma wafted from the pot. Chen Bai took a spoonful, sniffed it, and nodded in satisfaction. "Hmm, almost there. The Spirit Guiding Dew will be ready shortly."

He let the mixture stew a bit longer until the Demonic Core and peppermint were completely dissolved. Chen Bai then ladled the Spirit Guiding Dew into a large sack and hurried off to the Huo family.

At the Huo family's meeting hall, Huo Fei knelt on the ground, his face a picture of reverence as he addressed Huo Xiaotian, who was seated in the place of honor.

"Father, are you truly not considering evacuating our Huo family from the city for safety?"

Huo Xiaotian sighed, picked up a cup of tea, gave it a gentle blow, and downed it in one go. He then gave Huo Fei a dismissive glance.

"Do you think you need to instruct me on how to handle affairs?"

At these words, Huo Fei panicked, bowing his head repeatedly and pleading, "I spoke out of turn. Please forgive me, Father."

Over the past couple of days, Huo Fei had come to a full realization of what kind of sect Life Death Valley truly was. Since Huo Xiaotian's return, the family had been required to provide six Foundation Stage cultivators daily to serve as human furnaces for cultivation. The thought of those cultivators being drained to husks right before his eyes filled Huo Fei with dread. And sometimes, the two individuals accompanying Huo Xiaotian would give him odd looks and lick their lips, muttering unsettling things like "Actually, the golden core is much tastier."

Furthermore, since their arrival, both the second and third elders had mysteriously "disappeared."

They were a band of demons!

Huo Fei continued to kowtow, his forehead soon smeared with blood, yet he dared not cease his pleas for mercy.

"Enough, enough, no more groveling. You're making quite the racket," Huo Xiaotian said, furrowing his brow in apparent annoyance.

Upon hearing this, Huo Fei exhaled a long sigh of relief, then looked up to lock eyes with one of the two men standing nearby. The man eyed the fresh blood on Huo Fei's forehead and licked his crimson lips. Huo Fei quickly bowed his head once more.

"Starting tomorrow, fully take over the operations of the Chen family and the City Lord Mansion. Don't have any reservations. They've simply found an excuse to flee; it's not worth your concern. As for the so-called mysterious master and Spirit Beast, they're likely just a ruse. But even if they're real, we three are confident enough to handle them." With those words, Huo Xiaotian rose and left the council hall with his companions, passing Huo Fei without any intention of helping him to his feet.

As the trio departed, Huo Fei slumped to the ground, gasping for air.

...

Chen Bai arrived at the entrance of the Huo family's estate and eyed the impressive wall before him. Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed a basin of Spirit Guiding Dew from the storehouse and doused the wall. Satisfied with his work, he moved on to another spot to continue his task.

After a 'diligent' session of splashing, the Huo family's estate had been thoroughly marked by Chen Bai. With the Spirit Guiding Dew nearly depleted, he abandoned the idea of marking the rest of the Huo family's properties.

"All set. Let's hope this doesn't turn out to be a big letdown," he said, turning to leave Wind City.

Outside Wind City, at the Chen family's rendezvous point.

"When is that kid Chen Bai going to show up?" Chen Lieh looked toward Wind City, his face etched with concern.

"Don't worry," Chen Faang reassured him. "The lad's been pretty sharp lately. He's probably got his own things to handle."

"Hey, isn't that him coming now?"

Chen Bai spotted the members of the Chen family and quickly made his way over.

"You rascal, where have you been? Come clean and all will be forgiven, but resist and you're in for a spanking," Chen Faang teased, chuckling, before Chen Lieh could even get a word in.

Chen Bai wore a secretive grin as he beckoned Chen Lieh to lean in closer. In a hushed tone, he teased, "This is a secret. I'm not telling you guys."

"You're looking for trouble!"

"Ouch! Not the butt, it hurts!"

"What about the face?"

"Never mind, stick to the butt."